Tear top can with captive tear strip



1 8 19,1959 I v R. J. STOLLE 3,462,042

TEAR I OP CAN WITHCAPTIVE TEAR STRIP Filed Jan. 13, 1967 wm raz RALPHJSmLLE,

8y MLLV/LLE, ST/zAssE/e, Fosmgfl/orFMAN I United States Patent 3,462,042TEAR TOP CAN WITH CAPTIVE TEAR STRIP Ralph J. Stolle, Lebanon, Ohio,assignor to The Stolle Corporation, Sidney, Ohio, a corporation of OhioFiled Jan. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 609,198 Int. Cl. B65d 17/20 US. Cl. 220-542 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tear top can having in a can end ascore line defining a tear strip to which a pull tab is secured whereinthe tear strip extends diametrically substantially across the entire canend and is relatively wide at one end and relatively narrow at the otherend, the score line being interrupted at the narrow end of said stripand the pull tab being secured to said strip adjacent its side end,whereby said tear strip when pulled open remains attached to the can butcan be bent over the can side when it is desired to drink directly fromthe can.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS Copending application Ser. No.431,601, filed Feb. 10, 1965, in the name of Stolle et al., entitledTear Top Can relates to a tear strip and pull tab arrangement whereinthe tear strip is broken inwardly as the pull tab is raised and the tearstrip is then torn upwardly in a direction opposite to that in which thepull tab is moved for the initial rupture.

Copending applications Ser. No. 463,499, filed June 14, 1965, in thename of Stolle et al., entitled Scored Metal Can and Method ofManufacturing the Same relates to the precoining of the can end in theregion which will be scored so as to insure that the score line willleave throughout its extent a constant thickness of metal to be torn.

Copending application Ser. No. 504,746, filed Oct. 24, 1965, in the nameof Stolle et al., and entitled Pull Tab For Beverage Cans and the Likerelates to a specific construction of pull tab similar to the pull tabshown herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention is in the field of tear topcans such as are now commonly used in the packaging of beer and softdrinks wherein a tear strip is defined in the can end by a score lineand the tear strip is adapted to be torn out of the can end by means ofa pull tab grasped with the fingers.

Tear top cans have been provided in a number of forms but for beveragepurposes the tear strip is generally defined by a keyhole shaped scoreline, the narrow end of which circumscribes the center of the can endand the wide end of which lies adjacent the rim of the can. Generally,the pull tab is secured to the tear strip within the score line at thecenter of the can end and in opening the can for use, the can end isfirst ruptured adjacent the center around the rivet and the tear stripis then torn out toward the rim of the can. The tear strip and pull tabare then discarded and the contents of the can may be poured through theopening thus provided or the contents may be consumed directly from thecan since the wide end of the opening is at the rim of the can and thenarrow portion of the opening extending toward the center of the canprovides for the necessary venting.

One of the problems which has been encountered with tear top cans of theclass described above is that the pull tab with the tear strip isdiscarded and if a, waste recep- 3,462,042 Patented Aug. 19, 1969 tacleis not conveniently at hand, and human nature being what it is, the tearstrip is generally thrown to the ground. This not only litters the areawhere the soft drink or beer is being consumed, but it produces asubstantial hazard in picnic areas and the like where children will runaround barefoot. There have been a great many cases of severelacerations of the soles of the feet of children who have accidentallystepped on such discarded tear strips.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention provides a tear strip andpull tab arrangement whereby the tear strip and pull tab remainattachedto the can so that they will be discarded with the can. People are lesslikely to throw an empty beer can on the ground than they are to throw atear strip on the ground and thus it is more likely that the entirewaste can and tear strip will be disposed in a garbage can or the like.Even if the consumer still carelessly throws the can to the ground, itconstitutes a more readily visible object and a child is less likely tostep on it and suffer injury.

In the provision of a tear strip which will be captive, a departure mustbe made from the conventional arrangement because if the tear strip werearranged to be removed as is now usually the case, it would interferewith drinking directly from the can. Similarly, if the tear strip weresimply reversed as to the direction of its removal, the tear strip wouldremain captive at the center of the can end where the user would be indanger of a laceration of the nose when drinking from the can.

According to the present invention the tear strip is arranged to extendsubstantially entirely across the can end more or less diametricallythereof and to have its large end (or drinking end) adjacent the rim ofthe can at one end of the diameter and the score line is interruptedacross the narrow end of the tear strip so that the tear strip cannot betorn completely from the can. The pull tab is secured to the tear stripwithin the score line by a rivet or the like adjacent its wide end sothat the strip is torn from its wide end (the drinking end) toward thenarrow end (the captive end). If it is desired to drink directly fromthe can, the tear strip with the pull tab secured thereto is simply bentover the side of the can which of course will be the side away from theconsumers mouth.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a canaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with the tear strip torn out for use.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing how the tear stripand pull tab are bent over the far side of the can so as not tointerfere with drinking from the can.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT According to the preferredembodiment, the can 10 has a score line 11 in the can end 12. Theconfiguration of the score line is perhaps best seen in FIG. 2 and itwill be seen that it has a wide end 13 and a narrow end 14 and that itextends substantially across the can end generally on a diameterthereof. As best seen in FIG. 1, the score line 11 is interrupted at 14and the ends of the score line 11 flare outwardly as at 15- so as tomake it impossible to entirely remove the tear strip 16 from the canend.

The pull tab 17, which itself does not form a part of the presentinvention and which is described in said copending application Ser. No.504,746, is secured to the tear strip 16 by means of the rivet 18. Thisrivet may be formed of the material of the can end or it may be aseparate rivet. The specific fastening of the pull tab to the tear stripdoes not constitute a part of the present invention.

In order to remove the tear strip, the pull tab 17 is raised and therivet 18, acting as a fulcrum, causes the end of the pull tab to rupturethe score line in the region 13. Then as the pull tab is pulledupwardly, as seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, or toward the right as seen in FIG.3, the curved sides of the score line are progressively ruptured untilthe tear strip has been pulled to the position of FIG. 2 where the scoreline 11 flares outwardly as at 15 and prevents further rupture. The tearstrip 16 with the pull tab 17 is then simply bent over the side of thecan as best seen in FIG. 3. In this condition the contents of the canmay be consumed directly 'by placing the lips adjacent the portion 13constituting the wide end of the tear strip. Thus, as seen in FIG. 3 thelips would be placed at the point L. The tear strip then will in no Wayinterfere with the drinking from the can and yet the tear strip remainssecured to the can to be discarded with the can.

It will be understood that various minor modifications may be madewithout departing from the spirit of the invention and no limitation istherefore intended other than as set forth in the following claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A beverage can and the like having a score line in the end, saidscore line defining a tear strip, and a pull tab for removing said tearstrip secured to the can end within the area defined by said score line;said tear strip extending diametrically substantially entirely acrosssaid can end and being wide and rounded adjacent the can rim at one end,and being narrower, with said score line interrupted, at the other endadjacent the can rim.

2. The article of claim 1, wherein said score line is shaped to define atear strip which becomes narrower from its wide end as it approaches itsnarrow end and terminates in an outward flare, the distance between theterminal points of said score line being greater than the width of thetear strip at its narrowest point.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,029,329 2/1936 Ljungstrom eta1. 22054 3,215,306 11/1965 Simpson et a1 22054 3,327,891 6/1967 Smyth22054 GEORGE T. HALL, Primary Examiner

